John Platten

John Patrick Platten (born 17 March 1963) is a retired Brownlow and Magarey medal-winning Australian rules footballer, who played for Hawthorn and Central Districts in the 1980s and 1990s.

John Platten
Personal information
Full name John Patrick Platten
Date of birth (1963-03-17) 17 March 1963
Place of birth South Australia
Original team(s) Central District (SANFL)
Draft No. 19, 1981 interstate draft
Height 170 cm (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Weight 70 kg (154 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1986–1998 Hawthorn 258 (228)
1981–1985, 1998 Central District 113 (262)
1982–1997 South Australia 015 0(11)
Total 386 (501)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1998.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Platten's career in the game began in his native South Australia, where he won a Magarey Medal with Central Districts (Bulldogs), then continued with the Hawthorn Hawks team of the late 1980s and early 1990s; where he won four premiership flags; as well as a Brownlow Medal.

Platten remains a popular and respected figure at both clubs, where he enjoys hall-of-fame status. He is also an inductee in both the AFL and SANFL halls of fame.

Platten competed in the Gladiator Team Sports Challenge in 1995.

Career

Platten was born in South Australia. He began (and ended) his career with Central Districts in the SANFL competition. A junior with Centrals, he commenced in the junior ranks in 1979 and made his league debut in 1981. Platten immediately made an impact with Centrals, becoming a full State Representative in 1982 and continued to be a regular in the state team throughout his career. Platten's greatest achievement at Centrals was his 1984 Magarey Medal win along with two best and fairest awards (1984, 1985).

Platten was recruited to Carlton but after a protracted legal case eventually joined Hawthorn for the 1986 season. Keeping the number 44 on the back of his guernsey, he went on to play for the Hawks from 1986 to 1997, playing 258 games and kicking 228 goals. Nicknamed "The Rat" with his diminutive frame and unruly tangle of curly hair, he cut a distinctive if unlikely looking footballer, yet despite this he enjoyed a career which saw him firmly established as one of the best players of the 1980s and early '90s. He was a gutsy rover who won a Brownlow Medal in 1987, tying with Tony Lockett. He played in four VFL/AFL premierships with Hawthorn, in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991, and a State of Origin Carnival Championship for South Australia in 1988

In 1998, Platten retired from the Hawthorn Football Club and made a dramatic return to Central District along with Gilbert McAdam, another of the Bulldogs' all-time greats. Platten kicked the match winning goal of his comeback match against Glenelg at Elizabeth Oval, however injury plagued his long-awaited comeback and he retired from football altogether after sustaining a knee injury mid-season. His return to Elizabeth Oval was not the success it was hoped for, but was a joyous event for long-time Centrals fans regardless. Platten has been a notable attendee at Centrals recent premiership successes, an achievement he was never to enjoy with his boyhood club.

Platten now coaches country football in South Australia. He played 113 games for Central District in the SANFL and was the club's best and fairest in 1984 and 1985, and its leading goalkicker in 1981 and 1985. He won All-Australian selection five times: from 1985–1988, when the team was selected based on interstate carnival performances; and in 1992, when the team was selected based on AFL premiership performances. He also runs his own business called The Safety Hub, specialising in the supply of safety equipment.

Playing statistics
[2]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Led the league for the Season only*
Led the league after finals only*
Led the league after Season and Finals*

*10 games required to be eligible.

Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1986 Hawthorn 4425313633217550761N/A1.21.413.37.020.32.4N/A
1987 Hawthorn 4426333041122263364491.31.215.88.524.32.51.9
1988 Hawthorn 4422211838314152456391.00.817.46.423.82.51.8
1989 Hawthorn 4422162240613454080420.71.018.56.124.53.61.9
1990 Hawthorn 441919132497632548201.00.713.14.017.12.51.1
1991 Hawthorn 4423252439016155156651.11.017.07.024.02.42.8
1992 Hawthorn 4422201637113750851380.90.716.96.223.12.31.7
1993 Hawthorn 441815152679536245430.80.814.85.320.12.52.4
1994 Hawthorn 442316833315148467580.70.314.56.621.02.92.5
1995 Hawthorn 4419992469934541440.50.512.95.218.22.22.3
1996 Hawthorn 442191225411737156540.40.612.15.617.72.72.6
1997 Hawthorn 4418141020811131956340.80.611.66.217.73.11.9
Career 258 228 213 3850 1619 5469 681 486 0.9 0.8 14.9 6.3 21.2 2.6 2.1

Honours and achievements
Brownlow Medal votes
Season Votes
1986 14
1987 20
1988 12
1989 20
1990 11
1991 13
1992 11
1993 3
1994 14
1995 5
1996 15
1997 5
Total 143
Key:
Green / Bold = Won

Team

Individual

Other Achievements

References
  1. "Hawthorn's pocket rockets". Hawthorn Football Club. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  2. John Platten's player profile at AFL Tables


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